Chapter 163: The Whole City in an Uproar!

"What the hell!"

"This move again! This move again!"

"Tang Mubai's tactic is invincible. You can't match his speed, so no matter how powerful your attack is, it's completely useless! Even a Grandmaster-level martial artist would be no exception!"

"That's right. Even if a Grandmaster were to step down here, they wouldn't necessarily be able to track down Tang Mubai. While Grandmasters can fly in the sky, Tang Mubai can run on the ground."

"Absolute legend! Absolute beast! Now *this* is what you call a true genius!"

"I'll just say this: if Tang Mubai wins one more match, the first-place title for the adult division will be his as well!"

"Yes, yes! First place in both the youth division and the adult division—Tang Mubai is going to explode in popularity! I mean massive, unprecedented, viral-level fame!"

"Hahaha, I'm rooting for Tang Mubai to take first place!"

"Me too! It would be so damn entertaining if Tang Mubai sweeps first place in both divisions!"

"Tang Mubai! Tang Mubai!"

...

The arena erupted.

Whether they were contestants, family members, or spectators, everyone was surging with excitement.

Taking first place in both the youth and adult divisions simultaneously.

If this actually happened, Tang Mubai's name would echo everywhere. People across all thirty-eight domains would go wild, and this feverish wave wouldn't die down for at least half a year.

The question was, could Tang Mubai pull it off?

Everyone at the venue was on tenterhooks, suppressing their excitement as they continued watching the match.

Anticipating who Tang Mubai's final opponent would be.

After a series of fierce bouts, the contender who would face Tang Mubai for first place was finally decided.

Sun Mingyuan!

A fifth-grade Grandmaster at the Blood-Qi realm, who practiced a bizarre and unique martial art—the *[Redacted]* Palm, capable of lulling people into an unconscious sleep without them even realizing it!

That's right, this was a supreme palm technique imbued with spiritual attacks.

Although it possessed no elemental attributes and was only a tier-three martial art, its might was in no way inferior to tier-six martial arts.

The reason lay in the unique property of the *[Redacted]* Palm: whether you watched with your eyes open or closed, you would still be assaulted by its palm force.

Furthermore, Sun Mingyuan had trained it to the realm of mastery, with an area of effect reaching nearly one hundred meters.

In other words, the entire combat platform was completely shrouded under Sun Mingyuan's palm force!

No matter how fast Tang Mubai ran, he would still remain within the boundaries of the platform.

And as long as he was on the platform, he would inevitably be affected by the *[Redacted]* Palm.

The ultimate test had arrived!

True Qi protective barriers, Sword Intent, Grandmaster-level pressure—Tang Mubai had broken through them all.

In this final match, the mental-attack-based *[Redacted]* Palm could not be evaded; it had to be withstood head-on. The true test had finally come!

Could Tang Mubai still emerge victorious?

Everyone in the stadium, as well as those watching in front of their screens, craned their necks in eager anticipation.

In Red Leaf City, all the major streets and alleys suddenly became utterly deserted, devoid of a single soul.

At this very moment, Tang Mubai was truly the center of everyone's attention!

...

"Begin!"

The referee's slightly trembling voice echoed over the silent plaza.

Tang Mubai, fully prepared as always, seized the initiative and moved with blinding speed, racing in a swift sprint around the perimeter of the platform.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In no time, Tang Mubai's physical form vanished from sight, leaving only trailing afterimages spinning around the platform.

Sun Mingyuan smiled faintly at this. Without releasing his pressure, he simply stood in place and slowly circulated the *[Redacted]* Palm. As he executed the technique, an invisible ripple began to diffuse across the platform, rapidly enveloping the entire arena.

Tang Mubai showed no reaction, continuing his high-speed movement while simultaneously loosing arrows.

As Sun Mingyuan batted away the sharp arrows hurtling toward him, he accelerated the execution of the *[Redacted]* Palm, continuously intensifying the invisible ripples he released.

Yet, Tang Mubai still showed no reaction!

The arrows he shot grew increasingly powerful with each volley. Even without being imbued with True Qi, the explosive kinetic energy generated by the impact left Sun Mingyuan's chest and abdomen churning with turbulent blood-qi.

However, compared to the sheer force of the arrows, what shocked him even more was that Tang Mubai remained completely unaffected by the *[Redacted]* Palm!

"How is this possible? Why is he fine?"

"I am on the verge of pushing the power of the *[Redacted]* Palm into the realm of perfection; it shouldn't fail!"

"Then why isn't this kid surnamed Tang affected? How is he doing this?"

"Is he carrying a precious artifact that resists spiritual attacks?"

"Or is his willpower..."

"...indestructible?!"

Panic gripped Sun Mingyuan's heart, and profound shock was plastered across his face.

The *[Redacted]* Palm was not invincible—of this, Sun Mingyuan was acutely aware.

Precious artifacts capable of shielding against and defending against spiritual attacks could easily suppress it.

Aside from artifacts, if a martial artist's willpower was sufficiently formidable, the technique would likewise fail to take effect.

Which category did Tang Mubai fall into?

Sun Mingyuan leaned toward the latter: formidable willpower!

Because defensive artifacts against spiritual attacks were not only exceedingly rare, but also exorbitantly expensive—no one would ever be willing to part with one.

Moreover, Tang Mubai's personal background had long since been dug up and exposed by others down to the smallest detail.

He was merely the captain of a down-and-out minor mercenary troupe who had picked up the mantle after his father and comrades perished.

There was a ninety-nine percent probability that he could not possibly possess such a treasure.

Compared to artifacts, having formidable willpower fit Tang Mubai's profile much better.

After all, individuals with exceptional talent naturally possessed stronger willpower than ordinary people.

For Tang Mubai to stand out in this regard was entirely normal!

Therefore, the fact that the *[Redacted]* Palm was ineffective against Tang Mubai still made logical sense.

Yet Sun Mingyuan was panicking!

As a fifth-grade Grandmaster martial artist, if he were to be defeated by a third-grade professional, he would lose every shred of his old face!

What should he do?

Flustered, a wave of malice welled up unbidden in Sun Mingyuan's heart.

Originally, he had planned to easily suppress Tang Mubai and then force him off the platform.

But now that Tang Mubai was immune to the *[Redacted]* Palm, in order to save his own face and secure the two "Vajra Rings" and the *[Nine Wolves Saber]*, he couldn't be blamed for what came next...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three abrupt, thunderous explosions rang out as formidable kinetic force slammed into Sun Mingyuan's chest.

The sheer power pushed back even Sun Mingyuan, whose protective body aura hadn't had time to fully form, sending him flying backward through the air.

Mid-air, Sun Mingyuan felt a surge of shock and fury, attempting to counterattack.

Swish, swish, swish!

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Another three explosive reports echoed out as three arrows caught up with Sun Mingyuan. The surging kinetic energy generated by the explosions hit him before he had time to react, driving him straight past the edge of the platform on the force of the shockwave and plunging him directly into the sand pit.

"..."

Silence.

Both inside and outside the plaza, and across the vast expanse of Red Leaf City, everything fell into a simultaneous, deathly hush.

A moment later, earth-shattering cheers detonated across the entire city.

"Good heavens!"

"He actually won! Tang Mubai actually won!"

"Did Sun Mingyuan throw the match on purpose? Couldn't his *[Redacted]* Palm cover the entire platform? Why did he still lose?"

"Isn't it obvious? It must be because Tang Mubai wasn't affected at all!"

"That's right! Although the *[Redacted]* Palm is terrifying, as long as one's willpower is firm, the impact isn't overwhelming. Tang Mubai's willpower, just like his movement technique and archery, is freakishly strong!"

"Damn it, I'm joining the Miracle Mercenary Corps! I'm joining the Miracle Mercenary Corps!"

"Tang Mubai! Tang Mubai!"

...

The venue completely boiled over.

Tang Mubai had genuinely defeated Sun Mingyuan, driving everyone present into a frenzy.

At this moment, the entire city was in an uproar!